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Having established our four primary genera, it remains for us
to enquire whether each of them of itself alone produces species.
And especially, can Being be divided independently, that is
without drawing upon the other genera? Surely not: the
differentiae must come from outside the genus differentiated:
they must be differentiae of Being proper, but cannot be
identical with it.
Where then is it to find them? Obviously not in non-beings. If
then in beings, and the three genera are all that is left,
clearly it must find them in these, by conjunction and couplement
with these, which will come into existence simultaneously with
itself.
But if all come into existence simultaneously, what else is
produced but that amalgam of all Existents which we have just
considered [Intellect]? How can other things exist over and above
this all-including amalgam? And if all the constituents of this
amalgam are genera, how do they produce species? How does Motion
produce species of Motion? Similarly with Stability and the other
genera.
A word of warning must here be given against sinking the various
genera in their species; and also against reducing the genus to a
mere predicate, something merely seen in the species. The genus
must exist at once in itself and in its species; it blends, but
it must also be pure; in contributing along with other genera to
form Substance, it must not destroy itself. There are problems
here that demand investigation.
But since we identified the amalgam of the Existents [or primary
genera] with the particular intellect, Intellect as such being
found identical with Being or Substance, and therefore prior to
all the Existents, which may be regarded as its species or
members, we may infer that the intellect, considered as
completely unfolded, is a subsequent.
Our treatment of this problem may serve to promote our
investigation; we will take it as a kind of example, and with it
embark upon our enquiry.
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